As we kick-off the SWE Latinos Affinity Group feature, I had the opportunity to sit down with this year’s co-lead Marissa Doyen (she/her). I asked her to share the experiences and passion behind the work she does for SWE and more, specifically the Latinos Affinity Group.
Marissa, you’re a huge advocate for Latinas in this field. Tell us: Why is it important to be a Latina in STEM?
For me, it’s important to be a Latina in STEM because I think the world forgets that Latinas can be anything they set their mind to. There’s not a lot of representation of Latinas in leading roles, real or fiction, and so we need to persevere and do what we love. I didn’t feel like I had much support when I was young and interested in STEM, nor did I really have any examples in my life of Latinas or any women who were working in a STEM career. That’s given me a purpose to be proud and authentic in every role I play.
I’m here to be the example for the next Latinas who want to study and work in STEM, to be someone who they can see themselves in and know that they, too, are capable of doing the hard work to get to where they want to go in their careers and in life.
You’ve been actively involved in the SWE Latinos Affinity Group. What have been some of your favorite events you’ve done with the Latinos AG?
We’ve had so many great events, from professional development, networking, to personal development. We’ve created a space for everyone to come together called “Nuestro Espacio” where we’ve done things from playing La Loteria to learning about our Love Languages. It helps us build trust within the members and feel like we truly belong.
For someone who wants to be more involved with the AG, what do you think are the top three benefits of serving as part of the AG leadership?
Some of the benefits to being a lead within our AG is that you get to work on your leadership skills and style in the most supportive group you could ever have. I’m fairly new out of college and still very early in my career, but being a lead in the AG has given me the confidence to not only support our group, but to showcase some of those skills at work as a young engineer.
Another great benefit to being a leader is having an avenue to find your passion. You can try so many new things, from public speaking, outreach and volunteering, to social media and marketing! Before leading, I really got to explore and work on my creative writing and event coordinating skills to highlight our members for Hispanic Heritage Month, which is really outside of the scope of anything I would get to do at work. There’s room for every interest to be explored within our AG, and we’re so happy to help you find it!
And lastly, one of the greatest benefits is the network of peers and friends you create in the AG. The members in our group, and the incredible women on our board are some of the best people you’ll meet, and they will always be cheering for you in whatever you choose to do.
It really sounds like you’ve found a great place within SWE and the Latinos AG. Any final thoughts?
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this group because it brings together the 3% of Latinas in the engineering discipline. In my day-to-day I don’t see other Latino engineers, but I know I’ve got this group when I go home that sees me, they understand what I’m going through, I can reach out to them, and they support me like that.
I think in and of itself, this group has made me feel so much like a super woman. It’s like, I don’t feel so isolated and I think that has been probably the biggest takeaways from the group, and that’s why I think everyone should be a part of it!
Thank you Marissa for sharing the impact this community has had in your life not only professionally, but also personally.
Discover more about the SWE Latinos Affinity Group by visiting our Linktree.
